Herald of War
by TheSilverboar
Summary: Their journey coming to an end and the ashes scattered upon the highest peak in the realm, it seems there is naught to do but bunker down for Fumblevinter. A final realm tear changes that, sucked to a new realm, Kratos and those close to him must help this new world lest it face a Ragnarok of its own. (Inquisitor Kratos). Kratos/Freya (fanfiction won't let me add gow characters )


**AN: Recently I played through the new god of war and it is officially one of my all time favorite games now. Because of this I have the urge to write some stories for it. This story, will be my first attempt at such. It's here to give you a feel for how I'll write that fandom and will be an option for the eventual video game story cycle.**

Herald of War

Chapter one

-Kratos-

With a groan, Kratos pushed himself up out of the snow, Atreus popping out of a large pile of the soft powder beside him. "Blegh!" Atreus spat out a mouthful of snow and shook the loose powder away "I'm good," the relief he felt at his son's words never showed on his face "I think I'm getting used to this."

"Falling?" he asked with a raised eyebrow at the surprisingly blasé comment from his son.

"We've fallen a lot." Atreus grinned, the boy always excited to do anything dangerous that wasn't fighting.

Looking around he frowned, seeing the collapsed serpent and the massive corpse they rested beside, "The dead giant," he breathed softly, hands twitching towards his weapons "why would the serpent bring us here?"

"And why did he spit us out?" Atreus asked concerned, "Was it something we did?"

"No…be on your guard boy, whatever injured the serpent is likely still around." With a thought, the Leviathan axe was held tight in his grip.

"There!" Atreus pointed skyward at a falcon flying overhead, shining silver feathers adorning its wings as it swooped low, glowing as it transformed into Freya. "Freya," Atreus whispered, his son's voice torn between happiness at seeing the Vanir goddess and warry distrust after what they saw in the realm of the dead "we can still trust her…right?"

"Until we know for sure stay behind me." He ordered, wanting to trust the woman who had saved his sons life and been an ally in their quest but who was still a goddess and had hid the secret of Baldur from them.

"The world serpent?" Freya was thankfully more focused on the injured giant to overhear their whispered discussion "What could do this?"

"We were hoping _you_ would know." Atreus pointed out, his son staying visible but also behind him as ordered.

"You are far from home." It was a question as well as a statement and Freya took it in stride.

"I'm looking for my son," she smiled in nostalgia and he could see the love of a mother in her eyes "you two…you helped me see things more clearly."

"We have not seen Baldur for many days." He told her, his voice blank as he studied her reaction. His test failed to disappoint as Freya took a step back in shock.

"Y-you know?" she breathed, shock and confusion swirling in her eyes as she studied them.

"He…he tried to take me." Atreus shuddered, whether at the memory of the kidnapping or the memory of Helheim he wasn't certain, but he put a firm hand to the boy's shoulder nonetheless. "When we were in the Bifrost father activated it to stop him and we got sucked into Helheim. We…we saw his visions of the past, of when he found out about the spell you put on him."

"You crossed the bridge?!" he supposed that reaction from her was warranted given her warnings and what he knew of the realm of the dead.

"There!" Atreus cried out, knocking an arrow to his bow and pointing it at the water. Turning to where his son was aiming he saw a furious Baldur stalking from the glacial lake.

"I had a feeling that hurting 'the big snake' would bring you two out in the open." Vengeance danced in the gods eyes as Baldur stalked towards him, his tone as slow and hollow as always "Do you have any idea, any idea at ALL at what you have cost me?"

"My boy…" Freya stared at her son with longing and grief and remorse as the painless god finally took notice of her.

"Mother?" Baldur seemed to almost not believe his own eyes.

"I'm here." She assured softly, "Don't run away." That…was wrong, Kratos narrowed his eyes as he studied Freya, the woman he had met loved her son and regretted what happened, but she wouldn't simply ignore the kidnapping and attack on Atreus whom she had come to care for as well.

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere, _'mother'_." Baldur assured, the vengeance growing hungrier in his eyes, so reminiscent of Kratos' own days of vengeance against the gods, against his parent.

"I know that you're still angry." Freya continued, "I know how you feel hasn't changed but I-"

"How…how _I_ feel?" Baldur seemed stunned at what was likely seen as audacity, giving a wheezing laugh, showing just how broken the man was "I've spent the last one hundred years dreaming of this…moment." Baldur began to slowly move towards Freya, "I've planned it all out, every…single…word I wanted to say to you. I rehearsed it day and night till I could recite it in my sleep. All so you would understand _exactly_ what you stole from me." A single tear fell from the eye of Baldur and, if her short choked sob was in indication, Freya saw it too, "But now?" Baldur seemed almost gleeful as he pointed at his mother "I realize something, I _don't_ need you to understand. I don't need you to understand, to be sorry, to try and fix things. I don't need…you."

Hearing enough he stepped forward, he knew it was likely to fail, he knew it went against much of what he had been trying to teach his son, but he knew he couldn't simply leave another to walk the path he had so long ago, "No!" Freya began to frantically pull at his armor to move him away as he stepped between her and Baldur "Back off Kratos, this has nothing to do with-"

"This path you walk, vengeance, you will find no peace. Believe me, I know." He assured Baldur, the god he had fought and thought to have killed, his voice softer than even he expected.

"Oh, what would you know of vengeance coward?" Baldur scoffed "Hiding in the woods like a scared dog, does that brat know how pathetic you truly are?"

The silence echoes as Baldur stares at him, Faye's ashes on his belt feeling to almost glow warm as Kratos comes to his decision, "Boy," he spoke up, feeling Atreus look towards him "listen close. I am from a land called Sparta. Long ago I made a deal with a god to save my life…and it cost me my soul. Under his name, his bloodlust driving my mind I killed many who were deserving…and many who were not. To make me a stronger warrior he ticked me into killing my wife and my daughter. I killed that god, but my vengeance was not sated, it continued to burn." He heard Atreus' bow slacken from shock at what was being told "I killed my father. My home was lost to this, I sought vengeance from everything that was taken from me, but in doings so I took and ruined all that was left." he couldn't bear to look at his son, he feared the look of disgust or horror he might see "So Baldur, I _do_ know the cost of vengeance. Do you think you can stomach it?"

"That…that was your father in hell." Atreus breathed out. Kratos wished he could turn to face his son, to assure him that the world wasn't as broken as Atreus might start to believe but Baldur was growing impatient with the story…and Kratos was scared to have his son hate him.

"Oh, enough of the story you pathetic giant," the shorter god snapped "I guess I'll just have to kill you now and deal with dear mother after."

"No!" Freya tried to step between them only to get sent flying by a backhanded blow from Baldur, leaving the goddess dazed and winded on the ground from the impact.

"I'd look away boy," Baldur spoke to Atreus, dismissing Freya as harmless "or don't. But this is about to get messy." With a yell, Baldur leapt forward to strike at Kratos. He knew it was coming, had seen the tensed muscles in Baldur's body, was prepared to parry the blow.

He wasn't ready for Atreus to leap in front of it.

"No!" he cried out as Atreus was sent crashing into him as they both slid back, bright crimson staining his son's clothes as the boy gasped in pain, eyes wide, "You're bleeding!" he panicked, trying to find his son's wound to close it "I won't lose you too!"

"It's…not…my blood." Atreus slowly stopped gasping, shakily getting to his feet and pointing at Baldur who was looking with shock and awe at the mistletoe arrowhead imbedded in his fist, blue light rising from his flesh.

"I can feel." Baldur breathed out in gleeful awe "I can feel everything!"

"No!" Freya gasped out as she got up, but he could see conflict in her eyes. She looked between the shaking and hurt form of Atreus and her crowing son. Then he realized why she was so desperate to ignore the threat Baldur was even when he was moving to attack her, why she spoke with such single-minded rage at seeing the mistletoe arrows. Mimir had said that Odin's curses weren't stronger than Freya's magic, but formed around her own weaknesses so she would be unable to break him. Her fear of losing Baldur driven to a nigh unquenchable obsession.

"You tried to kill my son." Kratos glared at Baldur, moving the still wheezing Atreus behind him. The best he could think of was Freya acting against Baldur would break the curse, no bewitchment was unbreakable by the victim.

"He was in my way," Baldur's glee faded away as he glared at them, ripping the arrowhead from his hand and clenching a fist "as are you. I got what I wanted but you, you tried to take that from me." He began to stalk forward, "Again and again you tried to ruin _everything_ I fought for. Magni, Modi, leaving me in hell!" he smirked and looked down at Mimir's head which had fallen off of Kratos' belt from the blow that sent them flying "But with him, I won't need you two anymore. I doubt father will mind if I bring him some corpses." With a yell Baldur leapt towards them, fist cocked back to strike, a blow that was aimed for Atreus' skull.

"No!" Freya's voice cracked as vines ripped out of the ground, wrapping around Baldur and slamming him into the ground, binding the limbs of her son to keep him from moving as more and more wrapped to hold him down. "I…you…I made mistakes Baldur, I know that." Tears flowed from her eyes as he could see her fighting, and hopefully breaking, Odin's curse "But they are not to blame, you tried to murder a child!" she screamed, not even Odin's curse able to make her ignore that action.

"Even after all this," Baldur wheezed, the mad Aesir glaring at his mother "you just can't help interfering with my life, can you mother?" the last word was spat with such Vitriol Kratos worried it would break Freya.

"You are no longer a child Baldur," Freya whispered sadly, tears flowing freely, I can no longer be responsible for the horrors you do. Leave us Baldur, never come for us again." The pleading in her voice was clear as the vines restraining Baldur slowly receded.

"You will all pay!" Baldur tried charging at Freya the second the vines were gone, but Kratos was ready. His arm wrapped tight around the Aesir's throat as Baldur choked, gasping and trying to pry away Kratos' iron grip, Freya's shoulders shaking as she refused to turn back to look at the death of her son.

"No more," he whispered resolutely, tightening his grip "the cycle ends here." With a sharp jerk he once more snapped Baldur's neck, the Aesir falling to the ground, this time he wouldn't rise again. Hearing the body hit the ground Freya dropped to her knees and sobbed, Odin's curse was broken but so was a part of the woman's heart. Walking forward he awkwardly placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to offer comfort to the woman who he had saved his son.


End file.
